


Breaking Even

by Chloe_Gayzer



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, Favours, Training
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:00:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27766396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chloe_Gayzer/pseuds/Chloe_Gayzer
Summary: Anita's never liked owing anyone anything.
Relationships: Bangalore | Anita Williams/Lifeline | Ajay Che
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	Breaking Even

"Yuh owe me."

Anita scowls. "Like hell I do."

"Yuh owe me, or next time yuh come t' my door for help, I leave yuh bleedin'."

She sighs and looks away. She hates when she’s at someone’s whim. Morally, Ajay might be a better option than most legends, but Anita doesn't like owing anyone anything.

"Tell me how yuh ended up that way, maybe I consider this yuh one free treatment."

"Not happening."

Ajay raises an eyebrow. "Then yuh owe me one."

Anita grits her teeth. She meets Ajay's gaze after half a second. "Fine."

Anita takes her chance to leave.

Her business is her business. She doesn’t need to tell a damn soul what’s going on with her. Least of all a Frontier Corps medic with something to prove.

* * *

"Time t' pay up, Williams."

Anita scowls. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Ajay gives her an unimpressed look. "Yuh owe me, yuh gonna pay up."

"Fuck off."

She looks like she's going to fight Anita on that, but she just sighs. "Listen, I ain't askin' for much. I need a partner t' teach the new legends how t' use their medical equipment. Makoa usually helps, but he's got sometin' goin' on. Bloth would, but they got prior arrangements too." She crosses her arms. "Yuh competent. Yuh got experience. Yuh got some sorta sense in yuh. Prefer t' ask you over Octavio. He ain't one t' teach."

Anita scoffs. "Don't know why you think I am."

She just gets the woman to roll her eyes.

"Yuh ain't? Yuh sure fool me, what, with tellin' yuh squad about the guns yuh find. Nope, no teacher would let a FNG know their hemlock is burst, or that the R-tree-oh-one is like a flatline, but easier t' control." Ajay points at her. "It's tomorrow. Maybe two, tree hours a' work around four. I'll make sure yuh get fed."

Anita keeps her jaw clenched. There's no reason she should do that. She could do literally anything else. Hell, Loba has bugged her, relentlessly, to wingwoman at some nightclub in the center of the city. Anita isn't sure if she's supposed to be helping Loba get people-- unlikely, with how she is-- or if Loba is offering to help Anita pick up women. She  _ doesn't _ need the help, but it would likely be preferable to teaching a gaggle of FNGs how to stab themselves with a syringe.

"Please," Ajay adds. "It's a one time ting. Payback for me patchin' yuh up. And I could always be askin' for worse, memba dat. But I ain't."

Anita groans. Why is, of all people,  _ Ajay Che _ able to get to her like this?

"Fine. But after, we're even."

Ajay smiles. "Seh one! I'll send yuh where it's happenin'. Wear yuh gear for the ring. It's good for scarin' the new legends."

With that, the medic departs.

* * *

Anita can’t believe she’s actually here. The group has taken up part of the firing range. There’s maybe ten people Anita has never met before. None look like they’re going to be new favourites in the games either.

Ajay, surprisingly, smiles when she sees Anita. “Glad yuh actually showed!”

“I said I would.”

“Well, I dun always got people who stick t’ their word as company. Didn’t know where you fell. Glad it’s on the dependable side a’ tings.” Ajay shrugs. “I guessed as much though, from how yuh are in the ring.”

Anita isn’t sure if she’s been complimented or insulted.

"What are we doing?" she asks, changing the subject off of her.

"Just makin' sure this group all know how t' patch 'emselves up and charge their shields." She bounces on the balls of her feet. "I seen yuh do both before. As long as yuh willin' t' order a few FNGs around, this'll go fine."

"I can handle that."

"Gonna show 'em how t' get a person off the ground too. Yuh gonna help me with that too."

"Roger."

Ajay smiles again. "Great." She holds her fist out for a fist bump. "We got this."

Anita considers leaving her hanging, but in the end, she decides not to. Ajay seems genuinely pleased at it.

"Let's get to work."

Ajay starts everyone on the basics. Syringes are the easiest type of healing on the field. It's all muscle memory for Anita to show them how to find a vein and keep their hands steady as they use one.

A full med kit is a bit different, but in practice, it's similar enough that no one has an issue.

Some of them actually seem to have some experience with the provided medical supplies. It makes the first part of training go quickly.

But then shield charges start. It takes most of them a bit more work to understand how to keep their shields charged. Ajay knows the tech behind it, but Anita doesn’t need that. She knows how to charge her shields, and that’s all she needs to know for this.

After a solid forty five minutes, Ajay calls it. Everyone seems to at least understand the concept of it. How it’s difficult to do for a couple of them, Anita doesn’t know.

Ajay calls the group in. “Aight, yuh got the meds for yuhself. But one thing yuh gotta remember. Bein’ good t’ yuh team can make or break yuh.” She nudges Anita. “Me ‘n Bangalore here been on a team a few times before now. Had t’ watch each other’s backs. She certainly ain’t the worst teammate yuh could get.”

Anita honestly doesn’t expect the praise, but she doesn’t mind it. Ignoring all ways she and the medic might clash, they make a good team in the ring.

“Now, yuh gonna have t’ be able t’ get yuh team back up from time t’ time. Everyone in the ring gets a couple emergency hypos for it.” Ajay takes the aforementioned hypo from her pocket and twirls it across her fingers. “Each a’ yuh got a practice hypo now. In a minute, I want yuh t’ pair off in practice. But first, a couple other tings.”

She bounces on her feet again and pats the large holster on her side that holds Doc, her health drone. “Yuh all know some people got tings a bit different. Everyone has sometin’ special in the ring. ‘Nita here can give yuh cover with her smoke grenades. Me though, I’m good at keepin’ my people safe n’ fightin’ fit.” She looks over to Anita. “Mind actin’ like yuh goin’ down for me?”

There’s a chuckle from a couple of the FNGs and it takes Anita a moment to realize how they’d processed it. Her cheeks go a bit red and she scowls. She meets Ajay’s eyes briefly; the medic seems apologetic but still has a bit of a smirk. Ajay winks at her.

Anita turns a darker shade of red, but she still falls to her hands and knees.

The next part is muscle memory.

She hears, more than sees, Ajay drop Doc over her. She roles over and reaches up to grab Doc’s cord and pull it into her own chest. The usual quick jolt Doc administers is absent, but the drone still pulls her up onto her feet.

“I got my Doc here t’ help so I can protect who’s down. She’ll get my friends up while I keep my gun up n’ firin’.” She twirls the hypo again before tossing it to Anita. "But yuh all don't get that perk. So Bangalore here is gonna get me on my feet with a hypo. Pay attention."

Ajay gives her a nod before falling to her hands and knees. Anita is beside her right away and rolls her onto her back. She's done this plenty of times before, though only a few with Ajay.

Ajay announces the movements out loud. She describes where Anita needs to press the hypo, how there needs to be a decent pressure in order to assure delivery of the medicine (though Anita doesn't press hard this time), and a short explanation on how the hypo is a temporary solution. As Anita helps her up again, Ajay mentions how it's best to get the injured teammate to cover so they can properly heal.

With that shown, Ajay has the group break into pairs with their practice hypos. She watches over them and gives tips where she can.

Anita stands back from it all. By way of paying someone back, this wasn't the worst option. Ajay had been right in saying that before.

Eventually Ajay seems satisfied with the group. She rounds them up one last time.

"Yuh all seem like yuh understand well enough now! So dun forget: yuh team gets yuh the win, so take care of 'em. This ain't no solo thing." With that, she gains a cocky little smile. "Next time I see yuh, it'll be in the ring. So memba' dis face! It's comin' for yuh."

The group disperses.

Ajay turns to Anita. "So, 'Nita. Let me clean up here, then I'll feed yuh like I promised. Good with you?"

"Sure. Need any help?"

"Nuh. Ain't more than throwin' the trainin' stuff back where it goes."

Anita just nods and leans back with her arms crossed.

Ajay scoops up the pseudo shield cells and tosses them in a tote.

Anita absentmindedly watches. She's not ashamed to admit she checks Ajay out for a moment; the medic is easy on the eyes. Knowing who Ajay is and how she acts contributes to the interest. There’s something about a woman who is sweet as can be until you try to fuck with her.

Unfortunately, her thoughts are interrupted by one of the FNGs making his way up to her. He's shorter than her and looks like he thinks the sun rises for him and him alone. One of those smug assholes Anita has spent her life avoiding.

"So you're the famous Bangalore."

Ugh. She knows that tone of voice. This man is going to hit on her.

"Bet you could teach me a thing or two about the ring," he says with what he probably thinks is a charming grin.

She raises an eyebrow. "The only thing I'm going to teach you in the ring is how it feels to get knocked out of it."

"Aw, come on, 'Nita, I'd--"

She cuts him off. "Listen here, jackass.  _ She-- _ " Anita points a finger at Ajay not far off. "Can call me 'Nita. You?  _ You  _ had better address me as Sergeant Williams."

Her tone comes off as maybe a little more aggressive than she originally intended, but she doesn't need another Forge around. Hell, if he tries to touch her, she’s going to make sure he’s not around for much longer.

He goes a bit pale and starts to stutter through a response.

Ajay cuts him off. "Alright, 'Nita. I'm ready." She barely spares the man a glance, instead choosing to smile up at Anita. "I know a good place where I can buy yuh dinner."

The man seems to cotton onto the fact he's intruded on something. Anita is aware he's probably reading the wrong thing into Ajay's statement, but she honestly doesn't care, as long as it gets him to leave.

Ajay’s gaze falls on the man. Her expression changes to one of disdain. She crosses her arms and leans a bit into Anita’s side. “Yuh still here? Shouldn’t yuh be practicin’ chargin’ yuh shields since yuh ain’t got the hang of it yet?”

Impossibly, his face goes paler. He mumbles out an excuse and makes his retreat.

Anita chuckles as she watches him walk just a bit too fast out of the range.

Ajay clicks her tongue. "Can't believe he'd even try. Yuh so far outta his league it's laughable. Not t' mention you could kick his ass with a hand tied behind yuh back."

"Couple that with how I’m not shy about saying I’m not interested in men…”

“Fool never had a chance.” She tilts her head. “Whatcha think, one round a’ the games? Or will he hang on for two?”

Anita scoffs. “I say he chickens out in the dropship and leaves his team down a person.”

“Ugh. Hate people like that.” The medic sighs and rolls her shoulders. “Hungry?”

* * *

Ajay leads Anita to a diner she’s never been to before. It’s out of the way from where Anita usually goes. It puts her on edge. The medic seems to notice and nudges her a bit. 

“Dun worry. I come here all the time. The food is good n’ yuh won’t be bugged by fans.”

With pursed lips, Anita shrugs. “If you say so.”

Ajay grabs them a booth in the corner. Anita keeps her back to the wall so she can see the whole of the restaurant.

“Get whatcha want. The leviathan steak is great.”

Feeling tense, Anita tries to relax. She’s had a decent enough time with Ajay, better than expected, so she’ll try to ease up.

“You get men like that jerk back at range often?” Ajay asks by way of casual conversation.

“Less often, lately,” Anita admits.

“How’d yuh get ‘em t’ stop? I need tips,” she jokes. “Couldn’t be yuh face, so it’s gotta be sometin’ else.”

A bit of heat rises to her cheeks but she just chuckles. “No idea. Just being a legend seems to have helped.”

“Ain’t helpin’ me. Just means there are more men who think they got a chance. They swagger on up, thinkin’ lil ol’ Lifeline will be oh so impressed by ‘em.” She shakes her head. “The amount a’ times I’ve had t’ threaten ‘em t’ be left alone…”

“Eh, if it’s not the legend thing, maybe I’m just too much of a butch now.”

There’s a chuckle as Ajay drums her fingers on the table. “I’d think that would make it more likely, not less. Who wouldn’t want t’ chat with a pretty butch?”

“Men, if I’m lucky.”

That seems to get a real laugh out of Ajay. “That’s the dream, suppose. But I ain’t a butch. I’ll haveta find some other way.”

Anita finds herself enjoying Ajay’s company. She sort of regrets how she’d treated Ajay the night Ajay had patched her up. She’d shown up at Ajay’s door, bruised and bleeding, and Ajay had helped her. The woman has been kinder than Anita really deserves.

What’s making Anita feel worse, maybe even guilty, is that she’s pretty sure Ajay is flirting with her. She doesn’t mind the attention; Ajay is a beautiful woman. It’s a strange sort of internal conflict; she’s finding herself enjoying the idea, but she’s aware they have their differences.

Ajay seems fine with her at the moment.

But near the end of the meal, Anita brings it up. She’d prefer to clear the air. “Listen, Ajay. I’m… sorry for how shitty I was after you helped me out before.”

To her surprise, Ajay just smiles and shrugs. “It’s all good, ‘Nita. I know yuh probably weren’t feelin’ great that day, ‘specially not with the state yuh were in when yuh showed up.”

“I’m not giving myself that excuse. You patched me up without a second thought and I was still an ass.”

“I wasn’t exactly sweet t’ yuh either.”

“You healed me.”

“That’s my job.”

Anita just shakes her head. “Seriously, Ajay. You're-- Thanks. For patching me up.”

Ajay gives her a smile. “Yuh welcome. Thank  _ you  _ for helpin’ with the new crowd. I know it ain’t fun work, but it goes so much better when I got someone competent with me.”

“Coulda been worse. Sure, we had to deal with an idiot, I’ve had worse outcomes than this.”

“I’m sure yuh have.” Ajay leans back in her seat and stretches. “Alright, ‘Nita, I think it’s time for me t’ head home. Didn’t expect t’ be out this late.” She stands up.

Anita didn’t even realize the time. It’s getting dark out.

“Ah. Right. Thanks for dinner.”

“Ain’t a problem. See yuh around!”

Before Ajay can walk more than a step away, Anita speaks up. “Hey, one last thing. You been flirting with me?”

The medic seems surprised, but then she laughs. “Yuh ain’t one for subtly, eh?”

Anita chuckles as she shakes her head. “I prefer to know for sure. Makes things a lot clearer.”

She gets a wink in response. “Didn’t I tell yuh I like chattin’ wid a pretty butch?” And then she heads off.

Well, at least Anita got something a little more interesting out of today than just a free dinner.

* * *

The Apex games like to mix things up in order to keep viewers watching. It’s why Anita keeps having to learn different arena from time to time and deal with yet another opponent’s skills.

She doesn’t mind too much. It keeps her sharp.

A fairly common mix is duos. Rather than a three person drop into the ring, it’s just you and a partner. She’s done this before with mixed results. Sometimes she gets a teammate who can handle themselves and work with her, sometimes she gets the FNG.

If she gets that damn man from training, there might be some friendly fire.

She’s gotten a win before now in duos. It was with Bloodhound. They’re more than competent and had wiped the last squad while they were all enshrouded in her smokes.

Anita is feeling pumped on the drop ship. She’s ready for this.

She honestly enjoys the adrenaline of stepping out onto the drop platform.

It’s better when she sees who her teammate will be for this match.

Ajay grins when Anita steps onto the drop platform. “Yuh ready for this, sugar?”

“Oh, I’m ready today.” She meets the fistbump Ajay offers her. “I’m ready all month.”

They drop hot. Anita grabs up an EVA-8 first. She’s not alone in her building. She can hear someone on the floor above her.

She can't find a shield before they bust through the door. She takes a few hits before she knocks them. She doesn't have time to finish on them before their teammate rushes in behind her.

Anita hits the ground but she can see Ajay come in right behind them and empty her clip into them.

That team cleared and first blood earned, Ajay drops Doc over her and reloads her gun.

Anita ends up back on her feet with Doc steadily pumping her with meds. She takes a full shield off on of the opponent's and their alternator.

They take down two more teams before things quiet down.

And then they push on.

Ajay seems in good spirits. She throws a flirtatious line or two Anita's way and Anita is all too happy to respond with her own. They seem to be keeping it low key; this is a televised event after all.

"How many of the FNGs from training are left, you think?" Anita watches the counter for teams tick down to ten. Nineteen people left. Seventeen, not counting them.

"Eh, what, sixty people dropped, the class had eleven people in it… Ain't gonna be more than three, but that's generous."

"In character for you. Sorta disappointed we haven't seen that one asshole. I did tell him I'd knock him out of the ring."

Ajay chuckles. She's got eyes out the window, watching for other teams. "I dun think yuh gonna get the chance. Top ten for him? Nuh. Ain't happenin'."

They chat like this for a few minutes. Conversation turns away from digs at the new legends and more towards guns. Anita still has her alternator, but she'd dropped the EVA-8 for a hemlock a while back.

They're interrupted by the sound of shooting.

"Distant ear contact," Anita states quietly. "That's coming from the south I think."

Ajay bounces on her feet. "Maybe we head towards it? Third party, maybe."

Anita stands from where she had been crouched. "Sure. We get the drop on them and wrack up a few kills."

She's given a wide grin before Ajay darts out the door and in the direction of the gunfire. Anita follows close behind.

Things get hectic very quickly.

It's obvious they weren't the only team looking to take advantage of the fight. Soon, there's more guns going off than Anita cares to hear.

She and Ajay have each other's back, but they end up pinched too quickly. There's at least three teams nearby and every single one knows they're here.

They both put up a good fight, but then Ajay goes down. A grenade lands too close and the woman is tossed backwards.

Without thinking, Anita aims her smokes at her feet and clouds the whole area from view. She can hear people close so getting Ajay up here isn't going to happen. At a loss for anything else, Anita scoops Ajay off the ground and books it. Adrenaline pumps through her and she moves faster as bullets hit the ground wildly around her.

But somehow she gets away.

With Ajay tucked close to her, Anita darts into a house she prays is empty.

When she isn't met by a hail of bullets, she sets Ajay down on the ground. She looks to be in a bad way.

Similar to how she had while helping Ajay with the new legends, Anita plunges the hypo down on Ajay's chest. This time, it's far too real.

It takes a moment for Ajay to be ready to stand. She looks exhausted.

"Thank yuh now," she murmurs.

"Hang in there," comes the answer. "We got this."

"I owe yuh one."

"Like hell you do." There's a difference between helping out of the ring and in. Here, in the ring, they're a team. Ajay doesn't owe her shit for that.

Ajay just chuckles. “If yuh say so.”

There's a couple minutes of silence as Ajay recharges her shields and lets Doc work on her. Anita takes up watch at the window.

"You good?" Anita asks.

Ajay shrugs. "Best I can be."

There's silence again but for some distant gunfire.

The medic takes a deep breath and seems to shake out her limbs. After a moment, she crouches beside Anita at the window.

“I really do owe yuh one, ‘Nita.”

Anita purses her lips. She’s not really sure how to express to Ajay that Ajay doesn’t owe her. This isn’t her trying to be the bigger person out of them, this is her knowing that she was who kept Ajay going when Ajay had nowhere else to turn. When Anita had been hurt, Anita could have gone to any hospital in the city. Hell, she’d passed one on her way to Ajay’s. But she had gone to Ajay because she knew she could trust the woman to stay silent about it, to keep the reporters from dogging her about the injuries.

For that, Anita had owed her.

Even if she hadn’t wanted to.

But Ajay doesn’t owe Anita a damn thing.

Even if she thinks she does.

Anita finds a response that, hopefully, will go over well. If Ajay wants to owe her, fine. But they should both have a chance to enjoy the payout.

“Then pay me back by buying me dinner when we’re out of this,” she finally answers.

The medic seems pleasantly surprised by that. Her gaze goes half lidded as she gives Anita a warm smile. “Oh, I can do that,” she purrs out. “Come t’ my place and I’ll make yuh it instead.”

“You’ll make dinner for me or you’ll make  _ me  _ dinner?” Anita accompanies the question with a grin.

After a laugh, Ajay drops her voice back down. “Play yuh cards right, maybe it’ll be both.”

Anita lets out a low chuckle. “I look forward to finding out.”

Something catches her eye in the distance. She sees someone-- she isn’t sure who-- dodge into a far off building.

Nudging Ajay, she points out where. “You know, the faster we win this game, the faster we can get to planning dinner.”

Ajay gives her a nod and adjusts her grip on her hemlock. Anita is happy to follow her out of the house.

Maybe Ajay owing her won’t be so bad. Sure seems like they’re going to break even.


End file.
